When I told my wife I was covering "Baby Come Back" today, her first question (after "why are you telling me this?") was, "didn’t you cover this one before?" That’s exactly what I thought – and exactly what you’re probably thinking as well. But no. I know it’s unbelievable, but the truth is that we have not covered "Baby Come Back." Why we haven’t covered "Baby Come Back," I have no idea. It’s one of the quintessential Mellow Gold classics – probably in the Top 10 of the most popular Mellow Gold songs, ever.

Wise Mellow scholars that you all are, you probably have known for a long, long time that "Baby Come Back" was the work of the band Player. However, I’ll argue that most people haven’t heard of Player, and instead, when they hear this song, think, "Hey! Hall & Oates!" Do a Google search combining H&O and the song’s name, and you’ll find tons of people who insist that Player’s version is a cover of H&O’s version, that Player did the original but H&O wrote it, or even that it was performed by Little River Band, the Bee Gees or Ohio Players (??). I did a search on one of the not-so-legal file sharing services and found only one – one! – version listed under Player. The rest were the above groups, or Vanessa Hudgens from High School Musical, who incorporated it into a new song called "Baby Come Back To Me." (I hear this every morning at the gym. It sucks.)

Let’s clear this up right now: Daryl Hall and John Oates have nothing to do with "Baby Come Back," except for one thing: the song is a 100% bonafide Hall & Oates ripoff. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves: wouldn’t you like to know a bit more about the boys in Player? You wouldn’t? Well, sucks to be you, then.

Player at the 1977 San Bernardino Wigmakers Convention

Player began when Peter Beckett and J.C. Crowley met at a party in L.A. around 1976. Beckett and Crowley were the only ones that weren’t wearing white pants, and somehow this was enough to strike up a meaningful conversation. (They’re easy to spot in the above picture: they’re the two people wearing white pants. Beckett is the one far left, and Crowley is the one far right who kind of looks like the freaky love-child of Jann Wenner and Rufus Wainwright.) The duo, both singer-songwriters, met up shortly after the party, and realized they had enough in common to form a band together. They added hunky Ronn Moss (above, trying to hide a hickey) on bass and Moss’s friend John Friesen (the one who looks like a SNL parody of a ’70s rocker) on drums. Original Steppenwolf member Wayne Cook was later added on keyboards. Managing the band was Paul Palmer, who was more than suitable for the job, also being the manager for Little River Band.

"Baby Come Back" was the brainchild of Beckett and Crowley. Both had recently broken up with their girlfriends (as the story goes; I’m not so convinced they weren’t dumped for men with better hair) and one night, over hazelnut-infused hot cocoa and backrubs (not true), churned out their genius tune. (Note: Wikipedia attributes this tune to Blaine Craven, but a check over at BMI confirms it’s Beckett and Crowley. Yes, I searched BMI. No, I don’t know why, either.)

The band had their killer song; now all they needed was a record deal. Palmer set up auditions with various producers, insisting that the band play live, instead of submitting a demo tape that could merely be shelved and forgotten. Producers Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter (who had written songs for the likes of The Righteous Brothers and Dusty Springfield) picked up the band, and in turn, convinced Robert Stigwood to sign them to RSO Records.

"Baby Come Back" entered Hot 100 in October of 1977, and in January of 1978 spent three weeks at #1. In total, the song spent four months in the Top 40 and a massive eight months in the Hot 100. Two million copies later, Player were being personally asked to open for Eric Clapton – quite a step up from opening for Gino Vannelli – and were named by Billboard as Best New Singles Artist of 1978. Player had other hits (one of them, "This Time I’m In It For Love," will be snarked around here at some point, I’m sure), but of course, internal feuding tore the band apart. In fact, Beckett left the band during their stint opening for Kenny Loggins on "The Footloose Tour." It’s true. He had to cut loose. (groan)

In between various reunion incarnations, the members of Player have kept busy. Beckett wrote "Twist Of Fate" for Olivia Newton-John, included in the movie of the same name that actually made Xanadu look like a masterpiece, and even joined the ol’ Little River Band for a spell in the late ’80s and early ’90s.

[youtube]7LvI3jhf2t0[/youtube]

Crowley left the band and became a semi-successful songwriter, writing for The Oak Ridge Boys, Johnny Cash and Smokey Robinson. And Ronn Moss…well, Moss gained the most notoriety when he decided to use his rugged, manly looks to further his career as an actor. Since 1987, Moss has played "Ridge Forrester" on CBS’ The Bold And The Beautiful.

In 2007, Beckett and Moss reunited once again as Player. Look at these two handsome devils!

Moss and Beckett, flexing for your pleasure.

Okay. So now, you know all there is to know about Player: how they started, how they rose, how they fell, how they refuse to go away. Let’s talk about the genius of "Baby Come Back," shall we? For starters, listen to that bass: I’m willing to bet that Moss couldn’t even play the damn thing when he joined the band, but Beckett and Crowley knew the bass part required someone dashingly handsome. The bass handles most of the verses really, accompanied by light drums and keyboard, and even lighter guitar. These guys knew exactly how to build to a chorus.

And speaking of the chorus: has there ever been another Mellow chorus that felt this good to sing? What a hook! It doesn’t matter that every single word of the chorus is completely emasculating, as the guys from Player get down on their knees and shamelessly beg forgiveness for ever wronging the girl. Those layered harmonies, musical but essentially put forth as a shouting plea, are some of the most satisfying I’ve ever heard…until we hit the bridge. Oh, I love the bridge of "Baby Come Back" – more harmonies building up to Beckett hitting that high "is there nothing left for mee-heee?" falsetto, a few seconds of silence, and then back into the chorus. It’s genius, I tell you!

Lyrically – well, we’ve already talked about the chorus. The rest of the song follows suit – it’s a simple MG song about losing the girl, missing the girl, wanting the girl back. They could be singing anything here, it wouldn’t matter – it’s all about the music.

When "Baby Comes Back," was released, the band was often criticized for ripping off the Hall & Oates sound. Rolling Stone even published an article at the height of the band’s success entitled "Player, Feeling Its Oates." I’ve thought long and hard about this criticism, and I think I know why they’re accused of sound like Hall & Oates: it’s because they totally ripped off Hall & Oates. Think about it: the only difference between "Baby Come Back" and "She’s Gone" is that "Baby Come Back" doesn’t change keys at the end. Same gentle verses leading up to a full, strong, harmony-laden chorus, same general feeling of loss over a woman…they totally deserved the criticism. For me, though, it doesn’t diminish at all from the song; it’s still one of the best Mellow Gold tunes ever recorded.

Here’s a great vintage clip from the ’70s. The pitch is a little high on the clip, but you get the idea of how smooth these guys were.

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"Baby Come Back" certainly has its spot in popular culture: most recently, Bumblebee plays the song during a scene in Transformers. And who can forget "Homer Alone," the episode of The Simpsons when Homer and Marge lose custody of the kids?

Simpsons [youtube]BRLQ34IXzkQ[/youtube]

(You’ll note, however, that the version played over the phone isn’t the original. Beckett, Crowley and Crenshaw do receive credits for "Baby Come Back" vocals at the end of the show.)

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how much Mike loves this song. A couple of weeks ago, we were at our friend’s annual barbecue, an event where we all bring guitars and sing for hours. From the moment we started playing, Mike requested we play "Baby Come Back." I can say, almost definitively, that the only people that enjoy Mike and I doing "Baby Come Back" are the two of us. Nobody else can stand it. But I love performing it with Mike. He knows every single tricky chord, really nails the harmonies, and completely makes the song his own: when I sing that line "All day long, wearing a mask of false bravado," Mike gently echoes "false bravado." He’s the Oates to my HallStarsky to my Hutch Crowley to my Beckett.

And since you may be wondering, yes, Player has re-recorded this song to bring it into this century; however, they’ve smooth jazzed it up, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to allow any smooth jazz on this site. Maybe Jeff should play it for Lance Mueller? You can hear one version on iTunes, and another on their MySpace page.

Have a great week! See you next time for another Adventure Through The Mines Of Mellow Gold!

I love this song. This, Ambrosia’s “You’re the Biggest Part of Me” and Randy VanWarmer’s “Just When I Needed You Most” are the holy trinity of Mellow Gold to me.

The bridge really is great; to me it reeks of possible Palmer influence – tell me they don’t drop their Hall & Oates impression to become, ever so briefly, Little River Band.

I, too, have tried to play this song live with my band, but I find I can only chain so many flange pedals together before too much interference sets in. Really, it’s for the best.

Finally, this album cover has proven to be the hardest of the 8000 albums in my iTunes collection to find online. Blessed be you if you could link to a good hi-res version.

Rich

"Couples Skate! This song is Couples Skate only, all singles off the floor!"Dammit. Why did I have to be only 7 years old?!

Michael

Much as you would be remiss for not telling everyone how much I love this song (and I do). I would be remiss if I didn’t tell everyone that every other time we sing it you change the chorus to "Baby smoke crack."

Dw Dunphy

Since Eric Clapton was, at the time, also on RSO Records, I have danger money on this being a Stigwood decision rather than a well-thought-out pairing. "Who the bloody hell is Player?", said Clapton. For myself, "Baby Smoke Crack" is fun, but funnier is, "Baby got back, any kinda fool could see, I like butts, and I cannot li-ieee…" DwD

You know, Ronn Moss has a solo recording career, too – me and Ronn are on the same "label" now! You can listen to his new songs here, and if you really like it you can actually buy his album for $1.78. It’s not smooth jazz, and I thought the guy who tagged him "sounds_like: David Hasselhoff" was a bit unfair.

Bob

Spot-on, Jason. I knew it was only a matter of time until you got to this song. It’s up there on the Mount Olympus of mellow.

You know how a song can take you back to a particular moment in time? I remember listening to this on the car radio while waiting to pick up my girlfriend at her summer job. Good times!

So when you guys cover this stuff, do you use an actual celesta, or do you just have that sound loaded on the keyboards. That and the plinky percussion on Do That To Me One More Time and Right Down the Line should be filed under "instruments that belong in college music departments, not in bloody rock and roll."

Right you are on all counts, and with such panache. I came to similar conclusions about this tune (hence your rightness), too, in my blogpost about this tune last year.http://www.justpeace.net/2006/11/player-spawns-player.htmlI guess I’m must a miner for a mellow of gold, too, this column of yours is like a running description of a big chunk of my daily mental soundtrack. I know you just make fun of it cuz you it’s your guilty pleasure, too. Right? Right?I friggin love this blog.

Pete

Funny, I never really thought about the Hall & Oates factor as I always knew this was by Player…but it is truly a knock-off. But hey: "if you like Giorgio, you’ll love Primo." Love the flange guitar and keys here-equally at home in both doctors offices and dark, smoke-filled cocktail lounges.

Jeff

Great song, and the main reason I bought the "Billboard Top Hits of 1978" CD years back. I noticed on a later album (Spies of Life), Player had a song called "Thank You For The Use Of Your Love". I think I lost half my testosterone just typing that!

How ’bout, "Baby you’re fat…" (Nice way to drop the hint – oops! I messed up the lyrics honey, sorry!) Or, the more complimentary, PC, and urban alternative, "Baby you’re phat." (a.k.a. the excuse version when your wifey/gf/hubby/bf attempts to smack you over version 1. Explain it away with the "ph.") Dw and Michael and J – thanks for the laughs with yours.

Amusing myself, if no one else…"Baby you’re fat…you can blame it all-on-me…I bought Dove bars…and now you could stand to lose a few."

darrin ego

hey you forget to mention the really great "say anything" scene in the movie Safe Men which features this song.

Ross51

Jason, thanks for years of tears [from LMAO ]. I love the song and I love this blog. All the time and effort that you put in to this project is greatly appreciated. Say…How ’bout some Bee Gees’ Mellow Gold?Ross51

What Bee Gees songs did you have in mind? We haven’t covered them in Mellow Gold, but you’ll find plenty of Bee Gees references in previous Chart Attacks…

Candy

I didn’t know what "false bravado" was so I would sing "all be gone goes". And I especially loved "This Time I’m in it for Love". Straining to hit those highs and lows…

Ross51

Well, for starters, "Fanny (Be Tender With My Love)", from their Main Course album, with its "You know how easy it is to hurt me" lyric, just seems to be begging for the ‘Jason’ Mellow Gold treatment. :) LOLOr, how about: "Paying The Price Of Love" from Size Isn’t Everything, "Run To Me" from To Whom It May Concern, "Love So Right" and "Love Me" from Children Of The World, "Too Much Heaven" from their Spirits Having Flown LP? Sheesh! They’ve sung so many songs that qualify as both ‘mellow’ and ‘gold’, I guess, a person could pretty much just take their pick. ;)Hope you are having/had a wonderful, relaxing, fun-filled vacation!!!:) Ross51

Who the hell spells Ronn with two Ns? Bah, humbug! I do wish my first name was Ridge, however.

Five years ago I bought the “Super Hits of the ’70s” CD that features “Baby Come Back,” and the liner notes mentioned that many people still think this song is by H&O, which surprised me, but then I listened to the song for the hundredth time and I could definitely hear the similarities. A few months later I was in a grocery store in Atlanta, and when “Baby Come Back” came on the PA (Kroger’s “KRGR Radio,” to be exact) I overheard a guy ten feet away ask his wife, “Is this Hall & Oates?”

Great write-up, Jason, but, isn’t “Homer Alone” the episode where Marge goes to Rancho Relaxo and Maggie escapes from the house in hopes of finding her, which makes Homer panic and call the Missing Baby Hotline? The episode in which Homer and Marge lose custody of the children is from the seventh season, I think. (Yes, I know — baby come back, Robert go away.)

That video for “She’s Gone” is incredible — eyebrow-free Daryl Hall in his Ziggy Stardust-ripoff phase, nodding off during the song as if he’s high on smack and not even bothering to lip-sync some of his lines, and John Oates in a sleeveless tuxedo shirt. I love how the duo seem to be on the set of a public-access talk show. The appearance of “the devil” makes you realize they’re in on the joke, but I’m not sure if I laughed for the right reasons.

Seems many people don’t know the true talents of Peter Beckett from PLAYER. Maybe you should check out his website and read all his credits as an amazing musician in our history(and Englands). He is not just one song called “Baby Come Back”. I am his friend and Webmistress and I really hate when people comment on things that they know little about…then consider themselves experts in the music field. Didn’t your mother ever tell you to do your home work JASON???????????